


Of Books

by Twilighthawke



Series: Apartment AU [6]
Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Awkward Sexual Situations, F/M, Fluff, I really like Terry Pratchett, Modern AU, lame apartment AU, tethraghast - Freeform, this is actually part of the lame apartment AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-03-25 08:58:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3804478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilighthawke/pseuds/Twilighthawke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from my friend MJ: Pairing of your choice who secretly have feelings for each other and haven't admitted to them yet, accidentally kiss.<br/>I’ve secretly always wanted to write an accidental kiss. And you’re getting Tethraghast because those are the only nerds who are making it hard on themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Cassandra gripped her copy of Swords and Shields tight to her chest. Things had been better between Varric and her. They hadn’t fought with each other for almost a week. Honestly, you’d think a grown ass man would be able to let ‘being arrested, and then arresting his closest friend’ go. She was almost ready to ask him to sign her copy of his book. Her favorite trashy romance novel.

She entered his book store, sliding the well-loved book into her bag. The store was cozy. Whimsical, but just this side of practical. There were bookshelves along every wall, and standing shelves everywhere else. The front desk, where Varric reigned supreme, sat in the dead center of the room. It was round, so he could accept people coming from all sides.

There sat the man, she sought. He was reading something, delicate reading glasses perched on his nose. Cassandra pretended her heart didn’t pound harder in her chest. She approached him, clearing her throat to announce her presence. He looked up, features settling into one of apprehension and mild irritation.

“Seeker,” he said flatly, removing his glasses. “Come to accuse me of murder?” he asked. Cassandra couldn’t stop her irritated groan in time. She was here to mend fences, and he went right on the attack. She thought they were past this. She nearly tripped on the half step that preceeded the desk, which was on a raised dais for a better view of the store.

“No,” Cassandra said through gritted teeth. “Not today.” She couldn’t help but add. Varric sighed.

“Then what can I do for you?” He asked, sliding the book he had been reading away from himself. It was a hard back copy of Soul Music by Terry Pratchett. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Varric followed her eyes. When he looked back at her it was with a smirk. “Fan of British odd-ball writers, are you?” He asked. He was probably mocking her, but Cassandra answered anyway.

“I like the Sam Vimes books,” she waved her hand dismissively. Varric laughed at her and she blushed an angry red.

“Of course you like the cop book!” He exclaimed as she glared daggers. “Do you see yourself as a Sam Vimes, or are you more of a Captain Carrot?” he asked, and Cassandra realized he wasn’t laughing _at_ her, he was laughing at the world that delivered Cassandra Pentaghast to his store to discuss Terry Pratchett books.

“Commander Vimes,” Cassandra said slowly, “I admire his strength.” Varric raised one eyebrow.

“So you like the older, ex-alcoholic types?” He teased her and she bristled again. “Didn’t think you were the type.”

“Not that strength, you idiot,” Cassandra scoffed. “He has strength of character, and it’s true I admire that in a man.” Cassandra found herself defending herself. “He never does the easy thing, because being evil would be so much easier than being good. Through willpower alone, he remains the watcher that watches the watchmen.”

“But he lets other people do evil things,” Varric interjected but Cassandra shook her head.

“Law has a use for chaos,” she glared at nothing. “The point is he knows that just letting himself slip even once would lead to roads he can’t go on. So he watches himself closely.” She looked back to Varric then and mistook the look on his face for mockery. She glared at him, face growing hot. He must think her a fool, comparing herself to fictional policemen. She was embarrassed she had opened up to him like that. “Forget it.” She bit out and turned to go.

“Cassandra wait,” Varric said, moving around the counter to follow her. She turned to say something, some parting remark. But that damned step caught her foot and Cassandra found herself falling backwards, hands flying out and catching on Varric as he reached out to try and catch her.

To say that they landed in a kiss would be a vast mistranslation. It would be more accurate to say their mouths punched each other as Varric fell atop Cassandra in the middle of his store. Varric had his hands planted on either side of Cassandra’s head, her fingers tangled in the front of the button up shirt he wore with too many buttons undone.

Cassandra’s eyes were as wide as his as they stared at each other for what felt like years but was actually only a few seconds. Varric found his eyes lingering at her mouth. His teeth hurt where their mouths had connected before. He wanted to do it again and to his terror, he realized she wanted him to do it again. It was in the way her eyes flicked from his eyes to his mouth and back again.

Even more horrifying, he might have if she had stayed there another second. But she didn’t. The door opened and a customer walked in. Varric barely had time to glance up before he was violently shoved backwards as Cassandra practically fled out the swinging door. He called after her but the door closed with a thud of finality. The customer looked absolutely befuddled.

“Yeah,” Varric told them. “Me too, buddy.”

He thought about the look on Cassandra’s face. Not just when he was on top of her. The look in her eyes when she spoke about what she admired in Vimes. Varric had felt drawn to her in that moment, but she must not have understood the look on his face for admiration. Shit, when had that happened? Varric spotted her bag on the floor. She had left in quite the hurry if she forgot her bag. He spotted a familiar looking cover peaking out of the overturned purse.

Reaching down, he picked up the bag and pulled the book out in one fluid motion. He swore and made an attempt to hide the hideous volume from prying eyes. Where had she gotten this garbage? It was easily the worst thing he had ever written, and he was sure they were out of print. But when he examined the volume more closely he realized how well loved this book was. His book. There was a well-loved copy of his worst romance novel ever and it was in her bag.

He needed answers.

Varric called to Merrill to watch the shop while he ran an errand real quick. Taking the book, and leaving his pride, he stepped out the door and practically ran up the street to confront Cassandra.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fav troupe

Varric quickly found himself losing his nerve the more stairs he climbed. This was Cassandra Pentaghast. She owned a gun. Shit, she probably knew four or five ways to kill him with the book he was clutching, forget the gun. His treacherous feet took him to the door of her apartment. He stood there, staring at the numbers stamped on the door in gold, when the door suddenly opened and Erica appeared. She frowned at Varric, confused.

“Hey Varric,” she greeted him pleasantly. “You here to see me? Because I’m just headed out for my run.” She cocked her head towards the stairwell.

“No,” Varric spoke slowly, nerve almost all gone now. “I’m here to see the Seeker.” Erica gave him a weird look, eyes narrowed, brow raised.

“You,” she pointed at him. “Are here to see Cassandra.” She pointed her thumb back over her shoulder into the apartment. “On purpose?” She asked.

“Not really,” Varric laughed at himself. Erica just pushed the door open wider behind her.

“She’s in the kitchen,” she said stepping past him into the hall. “She’s in a mood though, maybe you should do this another time.” She offered him an out. He could take it. He could gracefully bow out and go downstairs. He would hold onto Cassandra’s book until he saw her again. And when would that be exactly? He sighed.

“Thanks for the heads up, Dimples.” Varric said as he stepped into her apartment. She flashed him that grin that gave her her nickname and she disappeared down the hall and down stairs.

Varric closed the door behind him. He clutched her copy of ‘Swords and Shields’ close to his chest. He could, indeed, hear someone bustling about in the kitchen. Using the very last little bit of his nerve, he pushed through the swinging door to face the dragon.

“Hey,” he announced his presence, lamely. Cassandra, who had been making tea, whirled to face him eyes wide.

“What—“ She started but stopped when Varric held up the novel.

“You dropped this when you left the store,” he explained. He held the novel like a barrier between them. “Some taste in authors you’ve got there.” He tried for a joke. By the look in her eyes it was the wrong thing to say. She reached forward to snatch the book out of his hands but he backed up and held it out of her reach.

“Easy now Seeker,” he exclaimed at her sudden movements. “Didn’t you want me to sign it?” He asked, maybe a little flippantly. Cassandra was taller than him. A lot of people were, but Cassandra had presence to go with the height. It intimidated lesser men than Varric, and those men weren’t dealing with the glare currently aimed at him.

“Really Varric,” she said through gritted teeth. “This isn’t necessary.”

“Oh?” Varric tried not to let his voice falter. “And what ‘this’ are you referring to exactly?”

“Just give me the book and we can forget all about… what happened in the book store.” She reached out again. Varric didn’t know what came over him, but he sidestepped the arm and stepped closer to Cassandra. She looked surprised and took a step back.

“What did happen in the book store, Cassandra?” Varric asked. Her lips parted when he used her real name. He had never done that before, not in that tone of voice, for personal reasons. Because her name tended to leave him feeling tingly, and he needed to hate the woman or something like this was bound to happen.

Well, here they were anyway. Maybe him saying her name had the same effect on her, he didn’t know. He just knew he needed to hear the truth from the Seeker of Truth.

“Nothing happened in the book store!” Cassandra recoiled further as he took another step towards her. “It didn’t mean anything.” She insisted.

“Which is it, Cassandra?” Varric wouldn’t let her eyes leave his. “Nothing happened, or it didn’t mean anything?”

“Why does it matter!?” Cassandra asked in a near panicked tone.

“Damnit Cassandra it matters because I’m in love with you!” Varric hadn’t meant the words to come out. In that instant he knew they were true though. Without his conscious effort, Varric had fallen in love with this infuriating woman, and it was suddenly very important for him to know if he had fallen alone.

Cassandra had gone pale. She, a woman who had never run from anything in her life, was recoiling from him. Varric took a step back, he didn’t actually want to scare her. He had just wanted to scare a little honesty out of her. He set the book down on the kitchen table, still waiting for her to answer him. As the seconds passed he began to despair that she _wasn’t_ going to answer him and turned to leave.

“Wait,” Cassandra’s voice stopped him. He turned back to look at her. Her eyes darted around the room and she was fidgeting. He had never seen her this… flustered before. Something like hope spread through him. He waited patiently for her to find the words. “When is the sequel to Swords and Shields coming out?” She asked.

Varric blinked. Twice.

“Uh, I don’t think it’s _going_ to come out.” He stuttered, this not being what he had expected at all. “It didn’t really sell like my editors expected it to.” She looked crestfallen.

“But it ended on a cliffhanger,” she protested baffling Varric even further. Varric shrugged.

“Yeah I thought maybe if I released it in two parts it would provide an incentive for the readers,” Varric said. “Didn’t work.”

“I’d read it,” Cassandra said immediately. Varric raised one eyebrow.

“You would,” he stated and she nodded.

“I’d like to see how the romance ends,” she bit her lower lip and Varric suddenly understood what she was really saying.

“Well, it’s not finished,” Varric said, testing the waters. “And I could use some help writing the romantic parts.” Cassandra blushed.

“I could help,” she offered and Varric knew. He grinned broadly and pulled Cassandra into his arms. She went willingly, still blushing.

“Good because I could use some pointers on the kissing scenes,” he told her. She smiled the smile that made his knees weak.

“I know,” she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down. “I’m probably going to have a bruise from what happened in the book store.”

Varric laughed as he kissed her, for real this time. This book was not gonna write itself. Luckily, Varric had a few ideas on where to go from there.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dedicate this chapter, that was never supposed to be, to OrilliaOrange. who is just as thirsty for tethraghast fic as i am. thank you for reading my garbage, i read all of yours

**Author's Note:**

> Geeze im bad at titles. whatever. if youre wondering where this falls on the timeline, this happens WAY before anything i already have written. obviously. I had fun, and credit to my sister about the Sam Vimes rant, thats all her right there. shes better at words than i.  
> SO whatdoyouthink? comments encouraged please comment.


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